


if we ain't got the time

by Rustyanklebraclet



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: (sort of), Character Study, First Kiss, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29769453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rustyanklebraclet/pseuds/Rustyanklebraclet
Summary: He has a good job at Hooli and his own condo and he volunteers at the retirement home on Sundays. He goes on dates, sometimes, and they usually go well enough, despite how rare it is for him to find himself on a second.But then everything changes, and he finds himself on the step of a strange house far too late at night.---Jared's experience with love- past, present, and future.
Relationships: Jared Dunn/Richard Hendricks
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	if we ain't got the time

**Author's Note:**

> timeline is pretty ambiguous, but takes place around s3-ish i think
> 
> title from tungs by the frights

Jared has been in love two times.

Once in high school, and once just after college. Neither of them had ended particularly well.

He doesn’t think about them much, though. He has a good job at Hooli and his own condo and he volunteers at the retirement home on Sundays. He goes on dates, sometimes, and they usually go well enough, despite how rare it is for him to find himself on a second.

But then everything changes, and he finds himself on the step of a strange house far too late at night. 

And before he knows it he’s left his job, and he’s lost his condo, and he doesn’t have much time for the retirement home anymore, let alone for dating.

He sleeps in the garage and listens to the rats and the hum of the servers, and knows that he’s made the right choice.

“And now she’s- fuck,” Richard cuts himself off mid-sentence with a huff, dropping the tie and leaving it to hang loose around his neck after a third failed attempt at tying it.

“Would you like some help?” Jared asks. He had been lingering in the doorframe of the bathroom, listening to Richard tell him about an argument he’d had with Monica as he tied his tie in the mirror, but he moves over to the sink, hands poised to assist, waiting for Richard’s permission.

“Yeah, uh, sure. Thanks.”

Jared smiles, and gently moves to tie a clean Windsor, just like he’d taught himself to do many years ago. He’s careful with his hands as he does it- he’s well familiar with Richard’s adversity toward physical touch, and always tries to do what he can to not exacerbate that, especially when they’re already in close quarters. 

He expects Richard to continue with his story while Jared works, but he doesn’t. Just silently watches his hands move, their breathing filling up the otherwise silent bathroom, somehow managing to feel louder than the sounds of yelling coming from down the hall as some sort of argument has broken out in the main room.

“All done,” says Jared, stepping back with a flourish of his hands.

Richard checks his own reflection, and then turns back to Jared with a gentle smile, and Jared is reminded abruptly of Sadie, of the curb outside her apartment, of-

_You’re the nicest guy I’ve ever met, Donald. Seriously, so sweet._

“That looks great, Jared. Thanks,” Richard says, and Jared nods. Richard continues his story about Monica, and Jared falls into step with him as they go to Richard’s room so Richard can get his things.

_But I just don’t think of you like that. I never could. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not really the boyfriend type._

“I’ll put the kettle on,” Jared tells him, much later. He had taken one look at Richard when he came through the door after his meeting and had rushed him into the kitchen, sitting him down at the table and taking his bag from him.

“What’d you fuck up this time?” Gilfoyle asks as he, Dinesh, and Erlich come through the kitchen doorway. Richard responds by simply putting his head in his hands and groaning, and Jared frowns.

“Let’s not be so pessimistic. I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t that bad.”

At this, Richard’s groaning gets louder, and Jared wrings his hands nervously.

“Okay, well, no need to-” he huffs, turning towards the guys and making a sort of shoo-ing motion with his hands. “We’re not going to have any sort of productive conversation like this, with Richard so upset. Give us a moment alone, and we can regroup once he’s calmed down.”

He gets several noncommittal grunts in response as they all leave the kitchen, and he moves over to put the kettle on, pulling a mug down from the cupboard.

Several minutes later, he’s at the table seated next to Richard. He’s thrown a blanket over his shoulders and set the tea in front of him, and is trying to deduce, at the very least, just how much damage control needs to be done. It’s proving difficult, though, as Richard still hasn’t said anything coherent, and won’t even touch his tea.

“Richard? I have to say, I'm starting to worry. Both from a business perspective, and from one of friendship.”

“You’d stick with me no matter what, right?” Richard asks, and the question, paired with Richard’s sudden pivot from an anxious mess to such urgency, catches Jared off-guard. He falters, the intensity in Richard’s eyes forcing him back into a memory like a bucket of cold water- him and Sam, the back of the gym’s storage closet, a hand curled too tightly around his wrist-

_You know well enough to keep your mouth shut, yeah?_

Jared nods, pushing away the memory, with a small mental note to stop linking his boss to his love life.

* * *

“Did you mean it?” Richard will ask him, weeks later, in a hushed voice. “About sticking with me?”

They’ll be in the hallway outside Richard's bedroom, long after everyone else has gone to bed. Jared will have gotten up to get a glass of water, and have found Richard still working, despite the first hints of daylight rendering the sky a pale gray. He’ll have walked Richard to his bedroom, hand on his shoulder to keep him on course.

“Of course,” Jared will say, voice equally low.

Richard will pause, head ducked and gaze darting wildly around the floor as he tends to when he’s trying to avoid displays of emotion. Then, to Jared’s surprise, he’ll take one of Jared’s hands in his own, and look up at him, still fidgeting uncomfortably, but only slightly.

“Thanks, Jared. It means a lot.”

Jared will just nod mutely, too much of his effort devoted to tamping down the intense emotion that he knows will make Richard uncomfortable to have much of a response. A few too many seconds will pass of just the two of them standing there silently in the near-dark hallway, before-

“I- can I try something?” Richard will ask, and Jared will just nod again, still slightly stunned by Richard's uncharacteristic forwardness.

Richard will stand on his toes and tentatively press their lips together. A small, chaste kiss, that Jared will only just barely have time to lean into before Richard is pulling back with a small smile.

“Goodnight, Jared,” he’ll say, and Jared will respond with a dazed “goodnight,” before Richard quietly shuts the door.

Jared will go back to the garage, and realize two things.

The first being he never did get that glass of water.

The second, much more profound, the type of thing that he’s not even sure he could solve with corporate conflict-resolution resources-

He’s been in love three times.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on [Tumblr](https://ieatthefish.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HOMINGPIGE0N) if you want
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is appreciated :)
> 
> Much love, Clover <3


End file.
